Mechanism for operating the damper-valves of gas-generators



PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

J. ZANDER. MECHANISM FOR OPERATING THE DAMPER VALVES 0F GAS GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. 1904.

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No. 770,623. PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

J.ZANDER. A MECHANISM FOR OPERATING THE DAMPER VALVES 0F GAS GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ZANDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN WILLIAMSON, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING THE DAMPER-VALVES OF GAS-GENERATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,623, dated.September 20, 1904.

Application filed February 23, 1904. Serial No. 194,820. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN ZANDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Operatingthe Damper- Valves of Gas-Generators, of which the following is aspecification.

The damper-valve for gas-generators, by which is meant the valve forclosing the outlet-flue of the generator, seats directly onto the edgeof the flue and is made heavy in order to insure its retention in placeand to effect tight closing of the flue against the escape of thegenerated gas. This damper-valve is located on top of the generator andwith generators of considerable height is exceedingly difficult tohandle, owing to its elevated position and its great weight.

The object of this invention is to mount the damper-valve forgas-generators on a support which can be raised and lowered and on whichthe valve can be advanced to properly seat against the end of theoutlet-flue and can be receded so as to be out of line with theoutlet-flue, to furnish a truck for carrying the damper-valve andmounting such truck on a rising and falling rail-support, to furnishswinging links carrying the rail-support for the truck of thedamper-valve and to furnish an operating-lever connected with therailsupport and by which the rail-support can be raised and lowered onits swinging links, to furnish a draw-bar and arm connected with thetruck of the damper-valve and operated by a swinging arm and a lever foradvancing and receding the truck on the rail-support, and to improvegenerally the construction and operation of the several appliances whichenter into the mechanism as a whole.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationsof parts hereinafter described and claimed.

in section; Fig. 2, a similar View to Fig. 1,

showing the damper-valve initially raised for opening the outlet-flue;Fig. 3, a similar view to Fig. 1, showing the damper-valve raised andreceded to fully open the outlet-flue; Fig. 4, a side elevation of thedamper-valve and its operating mechanism detached from the generator;Fig. 5, a top or plan view of the damper-valve and its operatingmechanism, and Fig. 6 a cross-section through the dampervalve and itstruck.

The gas-generator is not shown, as it can be of any of the usual andwell-known forms of construction.

The drawings show in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 a portion of the top wall A ofthe generator with the outlet-flue A leading from the discharge ordelivery chamber (not shown) of the generator. The wall A, as shown,issurrounded by a metallic casing A with a capplate a and theoutlet-flue has an annular wall a, terminating in a seating face or edgea, which wall a is surrounded by a metal casing a as usual.

The outlet-flue A is controlled by a dampervalve consisting of a solidmetal plate B, having a seating edgeb to coact with the seating edge orface a at the top of the outlet-flue.

This metal plate B is of the requisite thickness and dimensions tofurnish the weight for seating the face 6 and have the face 6 surroundthe seating-face a of the flue, and this plate B also forms the body orframe of the truck. Each corner 6 of the base or frame has, as shown,sockets b for the attachment of the axle spindles or journals for thewheels of the truck.

The Wheels C for the truck can be of any usual construction having athread-rim and a bearing-flange, and these wheels are mounted and travelon rails D, which can also be of any suitable form in cross-section andotherwise. Each rail D is carried by swinging links d, each link at itsupper end having a socket to receive a cross-rod d extending from linkto link in the arrangement shown, and each link at its lower end ismounted on a pin or pivot 0Z carried by an ear d on a plate (P, whichcan be bolted or otherwise secured to the cap-plate of the generator orotherwise held in position on top of the generator. As shown, each railD is carried by three swinging links; but a greater or less number oflinks can be used as may be desired or required for supporting the railsand the truck and damper- Valve. v

The rails are raised and lowered by their swinging links through a leverE, one end of which is secured to an arm 0 on a socket e, which socketis fixedly secured to a rock-shaft F, mounted in journal boxes orbearings f on plates f ,which plates 7 can be bolted or otherwiseattached to thetop of the generator or be otherwise secured in position.Each end of the rock-shaft F projects beyond its journal support orbearing f and has secured thereto by a socket 9 an arm Gr, which arm atits outer end is connected by a pin or pivot g with one end of a link g,the other end of which is connected by a pin or pivot g to the end ofthe rail, so that by raising and lowering the lever E the rails D willbe raised and lowered by the links cl swinging on the arc of a circle.The raising and lowering of the rails D raises and lowers the truck, andconsequently raises and lowers the damper-valve carried by the truck.

The damper-valve carried by the wheels C is to be advanced and recededon the supporting-rails D, and for this purpose a draw-bar is employed.The draw-bar in the arrangement shown consists of two bars H, pivoted attheir forward endsbetween cars it, extending up from a plate It, by apivot 73, and the plate It is bolted or otherwise secured to the top ofthe damperplate. The bars H at their rear ends have a link I pivotedthereto by a pin or pivot 2', and the opposite end of the link I issecured to an arm a" on a socket 2' which is fixedly mounted on arock-shaft J, which shaft is supported in journal boxes or bearings j,extending up from plates which plate can be attached by bolts orotherwise to the top of the generator or supported in some other manner.The rock-shaft J at one end projects beyond its journal bearing orsupport j and has secured thereto a lever K, one end of the lever beingattached to an arm on a socket Z3, which is fixedly attached to the endof the shaft J, so that with the movement of the lever K the shaft Jwill be rocked.

The plate B if not sufliciently heavy to closely seat the valve-face bcan have its weight increased by additional weights L, which can beentered on pins or studs Z, extending up from the face of the plate orframe B, and, as shown, four of these pins are provided, so that anequal amount of additional weight can be added centrally around thedamper-valve. The limit of forward or advance movement of thedamper-valve and drop of the rails D to seat the valve in thearrangement shown is controlled by abumper M, consisting of a verticalbar 122, a diagonal or brace bar m, and a foot of, which can begenerating the gas.

bolted or otherwise secured to the top of the generator or be fixedlyattached to a suitable support therefor.

The lever E in the arrangement shown is operated by a chain or cable N,and the lever K in the arrangement shown is operated by a chain or cableN, both chains or cables running overa guide or pulley wheel 71,suitably supported from the roof of the house inclosing the generator orotherwise, and the chains or cables N and N extend down by the side ofthe generator and run over a lower pulley, (not shown,) so that theoperator on the floor of the generator-house can by pulling the chainsor cables raise and lower the operating-levers E and K for the movementof the operating-levers E to raise and lower the supporting-railsD andfor the movements of the operating-lever K to recede and advance thetruck carrying the damper-valve.

The operation is as follows: The outlet-flue is closed with the parts ofthe mechanism, as in Fig. 1. The rails D are swung down on theirlinks-to the limit of the down movement, at which the seating-face b ofthe damper-valve contacts the seating-face a of the flue-outlet. Thiscloses the fuel-outlet against the escape of heat and gas, and thisclosing is performed and maintained during the time the generator ismaking the gas. The flueoutlet is to be opened for the escape of heatunits and the products of combustion while the chambers of the generatorare being brought to the requisite degree of heat for The movement ofthe lever E downwardly to a sufficient extent to move the rails Drearwardly raises the links (Z and raises the dampervalve above the endof the outlet-flue, so that the seating-face of the damper-valve is freeand clear of the seating-face of the flue, with the damper-valve, thetruck carrying the dampervalve, and the rails for the truck in theposition shown in Fig. 2. The damper-valve is wholly withdrawn from overthe outlet-flue by a downward movement of the lever K, which, throughthe draw-bar connected with the plate or frame B, moves the truckrearwardly, and such movement is continued until the forward end or edgeof the plate or frame B is clear of the outlet-flue, leaving a freeescape through the flue for the heat units and products of combustion,as shown in Fig. 3, in which the damper-valve is withdrawn from over theflue.

- The'flue is to be left open until the chambers of the generator havebeen brought to the required degree of heat, and when this point isreached an upward pull on the lever K carries the truck, and with it thedamper-valve, back to the position shown in Fig. 2 from the position inFig 3, and with the parts in this position an upward movement of thelever E carries the rails D downwardly, bringing the parts into theposition shown in Fig. 1 and closing the outlet-flue.

It will be seen that the opening and closing of the damper flue isattained through the movements of the levers E and K, and as theselevers have the advantage of a long radius of swing the amount of powerrequired to raise the rails and the damper-valve and to carry the truckfor the damper-valve rearwardly is nominal as compared with the powerthat would be required to lift the damper-valve direct, and this is alsotrue with respect to the dropping of the rails and the advancing of thedamper-valve into closing position. The truck furnishes a rollingsupport for carrying the damper-valve, which enables the valve to bemoved forward and back with great ease and without the exertion of agreat amount of power, and when in a raised position the damper-valvehas a vertical support by which it is held in its raised position, andwith the throwing down of the vertical support furnished by the swinginglinks the weight of the valve and the truck and rails assists incarrying and forcing the face of the d amper-valve to its coacting seaton the outlet-flue. The damper-valve can be operated from the floor orsupport on which the generator rests, thus saving the necessity ofworkmen climbing to the top of the generator in order to open and closethe valve, and inasmuch as this dampervalve has to be opened and closedrepeatedly during the operation of the generator a great saving of timeis attained from its capability of being raised and lowered and openedand closed from below. The stop or bumper furnishes a perfect guide inconnection with the rails and the truck by which the seating of thedamper-valve will be assured with each forward movement of the truck anddrop of the rails, and this without any particular attention on the partof the workmen. The mechanism is simple in construction, and by its usethe handling of the damper-valve is made easy and can be accomplishedwithout the exertion of a great amount of force and without any waste oftime, and it will be understood that the construction and arrangement ofthe rising and falling rails, the trucks, and the operating-levers forthe rails and the truck can be changed and varied mechanically to suitthe location and arrangement of the outlet-flue and the generatorwithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a damper-valve for gas-generators, the combination of a base orbed plate having a seating-face and constituting the dampervalve,carrying-wheels on which the base or bed plate is mounted, a rising andfalling railsupport for the carrying-wheels, means for raising andlowering the rail-support, and means for traveling the carrying-wheelsfor-- ward and backward on the rail-support to close and open thedamper-valve, substantially as described.

2. In a damper-valve for gas-generators, the combination of a base orbed plate having a seatingface and constituting the dampervalve. acarrying-wheel at each corner of the base or bed plate, a rising andfalling rail-support for the carrying-wheels, means for raising andlowering the rail-support, and means for traveling the carrying-wheelsforward and backward on the rail-support to close and open thedamper-valve, substantially as described.

3. In a damper-valve for gas-generators, the combination of a base orbed plate having a seating-face and constituting the damper-- valve, acarrying-wheel at each corner of the base or bed plate, a rising andfalling rail-support for the carrying-wheels, swinging links for therail-support, an operating-lever, a rock-shaft actuated by theoperating-lever, and a connection between the rock-shaft and therail-support for swinging the links and raising and lowering therailsupport, and means for traveling the carrying-wheels forward andbackward of the rail-support to close and open the damper-valve,substantially as described.

4. In a damper-valve for gas-generators, the combination of a base orbed plate having a seating-face and constituting the dampervalve, acarrying-wheel at each corner of the base or bed plate, a rising andfalling rail-support for the carrying-wheels, swinging links for therail-support, an operating-lever, a rock-shaft actuated by theoperating-lever, and a connection between the rock-shaft and therail-support for swinging the links and raising and lowering therail-support, a drawbar connected with the base or bed plate, an armconnected with the draw-bar, a rockshaft on which the arm is fixedlymounted, and a lever for actuating the rock-shaft and traveling thecarrying-wheels forward and backward on the rail-support to close andopen the damper-valve, substantially as described.

\ JOHN ZANDER. Witnesses:

OSCAR W. 'BoND, WALKER BANNING.

